1 YEAR OF RACING!

WOW! How fast has this year flown by? Can you believe Racing season is almost coming to an end? This year has been great so far; learning different racing terms, vocabulary as well as meeting new drivers and experiencing new things! On October 26th, 2014 I will have been covering races for a year! What a great opportunity I have had being only 19 year old in this business! I am so grateful and appreciative of all the people that have got me started  in the racing world, and allowed me to stand by their side, with questions and comments at every race.

This year I have learned about what a "Chute" is, and the terms "Loose" or "Neutral". These terms refer to how the car is handling on the track either around corners, or on the straightaway. I learned about these terms thanks to Robyn Snell while listening to "Julio" Brandon Ward, #62 car spotter on his channel and headphones. I am learning how teams communicate on and off the track and how to keep a solid attitude, and how it is so important to trust one another while driving and making decisions on the car. Brandon's team stays steady with lifted heads in sticky situations. This team shares a bond with each other like no one else.
I have spent most of my time and work focusing on the Pass South Series, and at Bowman Gray Stadium on the NASCAR Modifieds and Bowman Modifieds, and going to tracks in North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Next year I hope to experience Daytona! I also hope to continue covering these races
in the future.I have expanded my social network and met a lot of great people.

When the time comes to cover a race, every employee of each track was kind and warming in welcoming us to their racetrack. Thankfully, there has only been one racetrack where the staff was highly unprofessional and disrespectful.

I have an immense amount of respect for each staff member at every race for all the hard work and effort they put into racing. Each track is based on a clock work schedule, and only is delayed depending on the weather. From the beginning, you are handed information about all divisions, and drivers meet and greet. When drivers have finished practicing and qualifying, you are given sheets on the fastest laps, times and numbers and names of the drivers.

As well as covering races, writing updates on Twitter, and interviewing drivers I will learn how to write and send out proposals to potential sponsors. Recently, the team was so close to landing Brandon Ward a selected sponsor, with the help of my father Jason Rowlands. My father produced renderings and the color scheme of the car so the sponsor could see firsthand what they were getting into, and how the car could possibly look when on the racetrack. My father works in the design department at Volvo and Mack trucks in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Sadly this year with the unfortunate event involving  Tony Stewart, racing was turned upside down. I am extremely impressed with the new rule NASCAR announced, and am proud to say smaller tracks are involved as well. Since this event, I have seen medical personnel quickly respond  to any accident.
Since October last year, I have started my second year at Forsyth Technical College, where I hope to obtain a double majored degree in Sports Marketing and Communications with a minor in Spanish. I am taking 15 credit hours this year, and I have not fully decided on transferring to a four year college or to stay at Forsyth.Tech by Fall semester, 2015. As well as going to school, I work at Hallmark where I work 23 hours maximum.... So if you need cards and knick knacks.. I am your gal!

When I am finished with school, I strive to land a career in NASCAR, and be the best that I can be as "FAMOUS AIMEE"

I would like to give a special thanks to Robyn Snell as she has been my backbone and excellent person to learn from. Thank you for answering all my questions and helping me. I  enjoy spending time with you, I could not have been luckier with this opportunity all thanks to you. You are a wonderful person filled with joy and kindness.I would also like to give a special thanks to Alan Piquette, who gave me the opportunity to be a part of  TheRacingTimes magazine. Thank you for getting me into the races with no problem and just for being an awesome person. I hope you also are feeling better! I also would like to thank Brandon Ward and his team, and staff at all racetracks.

WHAT A GREAT SEASON SO FAR!
FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @MSFAMOUSAIMEE

Brandon Ward.

New Day Motor sports with driver Brandon Ward and sponsor Kevin Powell www.kpmoto.com combined with Foothill Ford owned by Kevin Powell www.kevinpowellfoothillford.com/… update:

Jeff & Jane Day own New Day Motorsports. Jeff has been racing stock cars for 25 years. He has worked with many notable drivers including Ed Berrier, Scott Riggs, and John Paul Linville. Jeff has prepared cars for competition at over 50 tracks across America including Daytona, Talladega, Bristol and many other Cup venues as well as the short tracks of America. Jeff's duties include decisions on car setup, personnel, and procurement of needed parts, travel, and financial matters.

The 2014 season for new Day Motor sports and Ward has been a year of rebuilding, restructuring, and rearranging as they look forward to the 2015 season.

With shop and team members working constantly to build a new NASCAR Modified car and update their super late model cars, the crews plans are coming together.

After spending all of the races with Ward and his crew this season, the things that I have learned are extremely beneficial to myself as I look forward to a career with this team and NASCAR.

New Day Motor sports owners Jeff and Jane Day announced that Will Spaugh has joined the team effective immediately.

Will, from Winston-Salem, brings with him years of race experience. "With the growth of the spindle business and other responsibility's on me I felt it was time to bring someone in to help me" states Jeff Day. "Will is really fitting in well with everyone so far and we look forward to the upcoming year" continued Day. Spaugh, who works full time for Richard Childress Racing, will be hands on with setup and race day decisions. "These guys have everything they need to be a force on the PASS South scene" said Spaugh after a recent test session.

Spotter Richard “Julio” Smith, a longtime friend, and team member of Ward, was kind enough to let me listen in on a race or two this season so I could learn the crazy spotter language! I must say that Julio is great at what he does, and you can learn so much in just one race! His calm, informative demeanor keeps Ward's concentration only on the track and out of any on-track incidents.

Kyle Davis, a crew member of Wards and who I know on a personal basis, has also been there to answer any and all of my questions. Kyle and I went to the same High School when I found out about Kyle's interests in Racing.

Wards father; Rick Ward, drives the transporter. Rick  has been racing since Brandon was young, and now Rick loves his job helping out.Once the truck is parked and unloaded, Rick then turns his attention to tires. Rick helps along with 

John with pre-race tire work and serves as pit board man on pit stops.

My favorite race this season was at Southern National Motor sports Park where Ward started P2 and lead the first 94 laps until his tires faded away and then came home P7. By watching Ward take the lead and hold steadily onto it, I was beyond excited to see my driver succeed after all the hours and hard work the team had poured into this season. With Ward so close to a win, I feel that I will be lucky enough to land in Victory lane this season alongside the crew.

When observing Ward during driver meet and greets, it is amazing. Ward takes the time with each and every fan to sign his hero cards and or have a picture taken. Ward possess all the qualities that would make any sponsor satisfied on promoting their product in a professional manner at all times.

New Day Motor sports 2015 plans on running in the:

NASCAR Whelen Modified Series http://hometracks.nascar.com/series/whelen-modified-tour

The Koma Unwind Series  https://www.facebook.com/KOMAUNWINDMODIFIEDMADNESSSERIES

Official Pass Series Proallstarseries.com

Bowman Gray Modifieds   www.bowmangrayracing.com/

 

 

 

 

As the websites are updated stay tuned for further updateswww.kevinpowellfoothillford.com

KPMOTO.com - Krazy Kevin Powell's website

Proallstarseries.com - Official Pass website
http://www.newdaymotorsports.com/Home_Page.php

*Please note: www.BrandonWardRacing.com is being updated so please stay tuned for a new and improved site to appear!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

This weekend my coworker and I will be covering Brandon Ward at South Boston,Virginia. Come out to see a fantastic race happen! We are so close to Victory Lane! I CAN FEEL IT!

*********FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @msfamousaimee************

***Pictures with captions will be up soon***

A Recap So Far

    This year has already been a busy one. I have had the opportunity now at 19 years old then the normal teenager would have. I am Famous Aimee and this is a mild recap of my journey so far.
    Starting in October of last year I went to my first race in Martinsville, Virginia. This is where I started my learning experience and my passion for racing came about. I had the chance to meet several people and to see how media worked. Instantly, I was hooked and later came a running start to an awesome experience in racing.
     I have a huge interest in the Pass South Series, and have been focusing on racing in that branch recently. Thankfully, I have had huge help with Robyn Snell with catching me up and teaching me racing slang, and vocabulary. In this business, you cannot help but ask many questions, and that is the only way we will learn. I have learnt about the spotter, and how he/she is the main eyes for the driver. The spotter talks back and forth to the driver trying to judge the best move which may not always be the right one. The crew  spends all hours when they can working and trying to figure new ways to fix, or improve the car for a better win every race. Although the driver drives the race car to the finish line, it is not always about the glorification of he/she but is all members of the crew. The driver did not just win, the crew did as well.
    My job for races is to make live updates on twitter about whats going on, how all the drivers are doing, the weather, or maybe even if a race has gotten cancelled. I stay well away from drama, and hammers that may have been thrown at other drivers. I update everything including yellow caution flags, and how many cars are in the buildup in a crash. I start out with fastest qualifying times, and write a top 10 on who will start. I also will include the redraw if any driver moves up a position or vice verse. I then move on to the meet and greet and choose who I will focus on during that race. Once meet and greet is all done, drivers are then told to line up. From this point, I am in the media box, headphones on, and ready to race. I do not exaggerate anything and will refrain from posting anything derogatory.
 Next season will be a huge for Brandon Ward Racing as he has many great plans for the upcoming year. Please stay tuned as another blog will be posted on Brandon soon, what a great year so far and so much I have already learnt!

Bowman Gray Stadium! YEEHAHH!

    Hey Racing fans! What a weekend it has been FULL of fun! This weekend April 25th, and 26th I got to have yet another opportunity to go to another race track! WOOO! This weekend as many of you know, I went to Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, and oh boy.... What is up with this weather nowadays?!
    On Friday, the drivers were given a time limit from 5-7 when they are allowed to go out onto the track, practice, and then qualify.  This qualifying session gave the drivers a chance to qualify for the big race on Saturday, but unfortunately was delayed until later on in the day due to weather conditions. Thankfully, when the rain had stopped, the track dryers were quick out on the road, trying the dry the road as fast as possible, again due to pushing back qualifying time. Once finished qualifying, each driver is given the choice to stick with his/her time, or can choose to scratch and qualify the following day. On Friday fastest top three qualifying laps contained of 13.125 driven by Burt Myers, 13.145 driven by Tim Brown, and Lee Jeffrey's who drove a 13.229 on the track.
   On Race day while sitting in the media box, phones were ringing constantly due to fans questioning about when the race started, how much was admission, and if they could video the race... Every 2 mins.... It was such an experience when you don't see anyone in the stands, to an hour later..  with individuals filling up the stands with over 17,000 people! It was a sea of different colored shirts! As the fans poured into the stadium, you could see the hunger written all over there faces to see some racing go down.
   The first race on Saturday started at 8 PM which consisted of the Street Stock series then followed by a 200 lap race for the NASCAR modified. Since Burt Myers was fastest for modified, Burt started on the pole. All throughout the race Burt was is in first until he had some competition with his brother Jason Myers. Still, on lap 123 Burt managed to clear to first again, and took the win for opening day.
   After the race, I went down to the pits to see the pit party where Kevin Powell Motorsports had a prize wheel, and the KPM girls were giving out free flags to fans! Opening day was such a great experience, and we hope to see you out there next weekend for LADIES NIGHT!! HEEEYYYY LADIES YOU GET IN FOR 2$.. to me... that is a dang bargain..
   Thank you again for taking the time out of your day to read this, covered by FamousAimee of TheRacingTimes.
 Again! Please come check out our website! and join me next time on Twitter for live updates!

Upcoming Events!

Hey Race Fans! Hope to see you this weekend at Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem! It is going to be a madhouse! Please come enjoy a 200 Lap modified, one 40 lap Sportsman, and Street and Stadium Stock Races!! I hope to be interviewing new drivers to post new blogs!
This season we will be traveling to 15 different races all over the East Coast .Are any of you bummed out that you can't go to the race? Well do not worry anymore! I will being doing live updates at the races from Twitter, so if you are interested please follow me! Enjoy this journey with me! My Twitter name is MsFamousAimee. See you then!

Pictures from Orange County Speedway.

Orange County Speedway

What a great day it was yesterday, at the Orange County Speedway in Rougemont, North Carolina. I had the chance to get to know Matt Daley on a more personal basis.

            Matt Daley, who is 21 years old and from Raleigh, North Carolina started racing 6 years ago. This year he strives to be successful as this is his first season for super late models. Matt first started racing dirt bikes at a younger age, and then gradually shifted to racing. He moved into limited late models, but unfortunately took a break for three years because of financial reasons. This year Daley had the chance to come out to the track and drive for David Dale. Matt hopes to give this season his all.

            Please come out the next Pass South Series Race April 19^th, at Hickory Motor Speedway. Please also come out to the opening day for Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem. It will be a great night, not only filled with racing but games, fun and food! Regular admission starts off at 10$ for adults (12 and older), 2$ for children (6-11 years old) and children under 6 get in for FREE! Ladies!! Always check the schedule for Ladies Night! You can also get in for free on these days!

An opportunity at Dillon Motor Speedway.

Hey Racing Fans! What a busy season so far!  Be sure to come out to the opening day at the Bowman Gray Stadium in Winston Salem, North Carolina. It will be a fun filled night, equipped with great drivers and racing!

            A couple weeks ago I had the opportunity to participate in the Pass South Series at Dillon Motor Speedway in Dillon, South Carolina. While there, I got to experience my first interview.

In 1999 Ernie Irvan unfortunately had to retire due to a severe head injury at Michigan International Speedway, when his car was traveling at 170 miles per hour and crashed into a wall. Surprisingly on October 11, 2013 Ernie Irvan announced that he was coming back to the track but as a car owner for his son Jared Irvan.

 Jared, 16 years old, took the time out of his busy day to be my first interview. Being that Jared was so young, I asked him a series of questions ranging from his home to his racing life.

Jared started racing when he was four years old, and was introduced to the sport from his father Ernie Irvan, who was very successful and raced multiple times in his career.  Jared attends CFA Academy in Concord, North Carolina and handles his school life as smoothly as possible. Jared informed me that he only races two times a month, which made it easy for him to handle schoolwork and projects. An important question I felt the need to ask was “Aren’t your parents worried?” Jared answered that his parents understood his strive to race, but yes… His mother did get extremely worried. When asked the question “ Have you ever crashed?” Jared simply smiled and responded… “Maybe once or twice.” 

Since his father was successful in his career, we hope to see Jared accomplish many winnings in his racing career and we wish him good luck and safe driving throughout the year! Thanks again Jared!

The Racing Times would like to formally invite you to the new electrifying season of NASCAR.  As the season takes off, we will be at your side covering racing from all over the United States and more! The site will be revised frequently, so each individual can be updated with the latest and greatest news.

Please take the time to check out and tune in on our posts, videos, pictures and interviews and feel free to comment or suggest blog ideas to help us expand. All the Racing Times asks for is to please be professional, and to disregard any hurtful information. Enjoy the season!